This invention relates to food and beverage canning, and more particularly this invention relates to an apparatus and method for washing and drying the tops of food and beverage cans.
Numerous types of food and beverages such as beer or soft drinks are commonly packaged in so-called "tin-cans." The misnomer "tin-can" is a hold-over from the early days of the canning industry when tin-plated steel was used to fabricate the cans. In modern canning, tin-plated steel is still sometimes used, although aluminum or an aluminum alloy, is more commonly used. In some instances, steel coated with a plastic or synthetic elastomer is also used.
After filling and seaming the cans, they are normally processed by pasteurization or sterilization in the beer and food industries, or warming for package protection from humidity damage in the soft-drink industry. But, these processes may cause contamination of the outside surface of the can, such contamination being either bacteriological or, simply, dirt. There, therefore, has been a need for a way to clean the ends of the cans for both sanitary reasons and aesthetic reasons.
Quite often, the cans are processed by washing them to remove surface dirt and contamination, but the wash water remains on the cans, especially in crevices. Thus, any dirt coming in contact with the wet surface, remains, and residual water, on steel-based cans especially, can cause corrosion. Corrosion is also a problem with the so-called "ecological tab end" cans, or cans with opening tabs which, after being opened, fold out of the way instead of breaking off. The pre-cut area of the ecological tab is thinner than the formerly used pull tab pre-cut area, and consequently is more prone to corrosion damage. There still exists, therefore, a need for a method and means to effectively clean the can ends without leaving a residue.